Chapter 2: The Date
by OrionLatro
Summary: We met Angel and learn a little about their past. *still working on it so updates will come*


Chapter 2

Orion woke up with a start, looking around the small, dark room that was his motel room. Calypso was seen over in the chair, sleeping easily as Orion looked over to the clock with a disgruntled groan.

"It's only six in the morning. So why am I awake?" He kicked the covers off of himself and swung his legs over the side, enjoying the feel of the linens against his bare legs.

He slipped from bed and walked over to the dresser to grab a pair of clean clothes. With the fresh outfit in hand, he headed to the bathroom and started up the shower, the hot water quickly filling the room with steam as he stripped off the remainder of his clothing, his boxers falling to the floor as he stepped into the pouring water. Minutes passed before he stepped out again, dripping with water before he toweled off and wiped the mirror. "I need a shave."

Calypso awoke slowly and looked to the closed door; her ears lying back as she yawned. '_I swear, all he ever does is complain. It's no worse than not being welcome anywhere_.' Calypso slid out of her chair and padded over to the door, thumping a paw off it and causing Orion to jump from surprise, dropping his razor.

"Geez, Calypso. Why don't you warn me next time?" He smiled, but it quickly faded as he remembered that the cyber uplink between the two was outdated and no longer compatible. Orion opened the door as the cool air rushed in, followed by Calypso who growled lightly.

_'Put some clothes on, you buffoon.'_

Orion grinned and scratched behind her ears, understanding what the growl meant before grabbing the fresh pair of boxers from the counter and slipping into them. He then slipped into a pair of neat, black boot-cut jeans and a dark red t-shirt. "How do I look, Calypso?" Orion turned to the leopard as she looked up and down, her black eyes sparkling as she appraised the young man in front of her.

_'You look like you did before, but older.' _Her ears lay back in annoyance as she answered flatly, "Mrow."

Orion nodded and sighed. "I know. I miss your voice ringing constantly in my head too. I feel almost normal without your guidance."

Calypso scoffed in her own way and turned, walking out of the bathroom to leave Orion to finish his shaving. _'I promise if it is the last thing I do, I am going to hurt him one of these days.'_

Orion finished up and walked out, heading to the door before turning to her and nodding. "I'll be back later, Calypso. I got some things I need to do. Or do you want to come with?"

Calypso hopped up onto his bed and looked at him before lying down and falling asleep again.

Orion silently chortled and stepped out, closing the door behind him before breathing deeply with a sigh. "Nothing like Brazil. I wonder if Miguel is here still." He leaned against a nearby wall and remembered the hour-long sparring sessions between the two of them. "Huh, I hope he still broadcasts his movements still." He laughed a bit before walking down to the lobby and tapping on the desk to get the clerk's attention.

"Yes, sir? How may I help you?" The clerk looked to Orion and waited for his answer.

"I need a cellphone," Orion began, "where may I be able to buy a new one? It's a rather urgent matter and needs to be taken care of quickly."

The clerk looked completely surprised by the question and seemed to freeze for a minute, trying to come up with a satisfactory answer. "I'm sorry, sir, but the only places I can honestly think of are the regular stores. If I may, why don't you have one already?"

Orion smiled and looked away slightly. "Well, I've been gone for three years and cut all contacts with my past. I want to reconnect with a past flame and I just need a new phone."

The clerk nodded and pulled up an internet tab, printing out a small map for Orion in the process. "Well, here you go: a map of all the local stores with acceptable cellphones. I hope all turns out well for you, Mr. Latro."

Orion cringed slightly and looked down. "Please don't open my room at all today. Calypso is sleeping and is in a rather snippy mood."

The clerk shivered in understanding. "I will pass that information on so the staff knows not to disturb her. And thank you for warning us."

Orion laughed and extended his hand over the counter, his blue eyes shining in genuine pleasure. "Of course. We of the lower class need to watch each other's backs and help whenever they can."

The young man forced a smile and took Orion's hand in a firm grip before turning back to the computer. "I hope you find what you are looking for. Best of luck."

Orion turned away and walked out, smiling as he effectively burned about fifteen minutes in that conversation. He then looked at the map and nodded. "OK, well this is interesting. Where to begin?" Orion began the long and dull trip of finding a new cellphone that was not only stylish, but also durable. After hours of searching, he walked up to a Verizon store and stepped inside, looking around at the phones and grunting in annoyance.

A saleswoman looked over and put on a cheery, fake smile as she walked to him. "Hello there!" she began, obviously forcing herself to sound cheerful which made Orion cringe. "How may I help you this morning, sir? Are you looking to upgrade from your current model phone or buy a new one?"

Orion glared at her for a moment before answering her in a flat voice. "We both know you hate it here, so please lose the fake smile and cheery voice and talk to me like I'm an adult rather than some lonely, lost child."

Her body seemed to freeze up at his verbal lashing, her demeanor changing to self-loathing. "Fine. What do you want to do? Or are you here to screw up my day also?" She seemed close to tears as she looked at Orion, who just sighed.

"Listen, I meant nothing by what I said. It's just that I hate being treated like I'm an idiot. I would like to buy a new phone, please."

Her face seemed to light up a little at his apology as she looked around. "Well, as you can see, we have no shortage of those here. What are you looking for? Sleek and stylish or basic and available for customization?" Her eyes seemed to sparkle at the mention of customizing and Orion took note of that.

"What about sleek, durable, and throw the customize option in also."

A giddy giggle escaped from her as she quickly composed herself. "Would you like to personally customize it or choose from a preset design?"

Orion thought it over for a moment before grinning playfully. "Tell you what. I'll let you design it for me. You have that look about you that reminds me of one of my old teammates. She had artistic flair about her that would amaze even Picasso."

Her jaw dropped as she looked at him, unbelieving, but at the same time, hoping that this wasn't some sick joke. "Are you serious? You want me to design your cellphone? Just who are you anyway? You look familiar, like I've seen you a few times, but never talked with you."

He smiled and walked to a nearby selection, the saleswoman following him. "My name is Orion Latro. I was the leader of Team Star Seeker three years ago, before I suffered a monstrous defeat and dropped off the face of the planet."

She looked at him and shook her head with a laugh. "You are either crazy or you are the real deal. Why should I trust you?"

As Orion pulled out his wallet and opened it, revealing the picture of him and the team three years ago, she gasped. "You really are him. This is amazing!" Her eyes held a new light as she smiled. "Alright, I'll do it. But, only if you can do one thing for me."

Orion froze and looked at the young woman warily before answering. "What would that be, miss?"

She looked about and stepped closer, too close for casual conversation as she pointed to a phone. "Marilyn. Marilyn Madison. Please get me out of here. They are slowly killing me with the hours and the dullness."

Her plea didn't fall on deaf ears, but Orion sighed and looked at the phone, seeing his reflection and the hopeful look in her eyes. "OK, listen. If I get you out of here, I can't promise that I can get you anywhere better than this.

Marilyn looked at him as her lower lip started to tremble, but she quickly set her face back into the mask she normally wore and picked up the phone. "So how would you like your phone, sir?"

Orion looked around and picked up the phone. "Standard is fine. I promise I'll be back, Marilyn. I just don't have anything for you to do, and if I did, I would get you out of here ASAP. But if you insist on decking out my new phone, the old team logo seems fitting. Throw a newer twist into it if you want, possibly some camo. Woodland would be preferred."

Marilyn cocked her head to the side, obviously confused about the suggestion. "Is there a reason behind it?"

Orion laughed and shook his head. "No. I just prefer the woodland camo over standard coloring anyway. It adds a sort of fantastic flair to the logo. I have total trust in your abilities."

Marilyn took the phone and flipped it over in her hands, her mind racing with color schemes and possible designs. A small smile graced her face as she got the finial idea. "Alright, I have an idea. Come back in a few hours and I'll have it done for you."

Orion was flabbergasted. "A few hours? What am I supposed to do for the remaining time?"

Marilyn's eyes sparked with a mischievous light. "Well, why don't you take my place on the sales floor? Then I can work on the design."

Orion froze before chuckling. "I suppose that's a fair trade off and I would feel your pain. Alright then, hand over the sales apron and go on. I think I have this."

Marilyn shrugged and tossed him the apron, spinning on her heel and disappearing into the back of the store, thus leaving Orion to continue her shift. By then, it was easily one in the afternoon, and the manager seemed to care less about who was on the floor as he lounged lazily in the corner. He occasionally looked at Orion as if trying to place the face with a memory, but eventually gave up as the afternoon lulled on in its usual snail's pace until it was about eight, to which Marilyn poked her head out from the back room and waved him over to her. "Finished. You owe me one, Orion. Here it is. I do hope you remember your promise you made."

Orion simply laughed and took the phone. "Oh you have no idea, Marilyn. I promise I will get you out of this hellhole you call a job."

Marilyn giggled a bit and blushed before extending her hand. "Is that a fair promise? Because if it is, I will never forgive you if you don't come back for me."

Orion took her hand and shook it with a firm grip before handing her the apron back with a somber smile. "Keep the faith, girl. If everything works out, I just might need an artistic eye of your caliber."

Marilyn colored more and disappeared back into the room for a moment and came back in her apron, looking annoyed at it. "You changed the fitting. Not cool, man."

Orion smiled and shrugged before he answered and looked at the design on the back of the phone. "Well, we can't all have perfect hourglass figures. Some of us would rather have some meat on our bones rather than nothing at all." He was stunned at the green 'S' within a maroon circle, camo winding up through it. "This design is simply amazing. I will definitely be coming back for you. Now I need to go and make sure I'm not considered missing out there. Bye, Marilyn."

Orion turned and briskly walked out, powering up the phone and nodding as he saw that he was already on a plan. He then quickly started adding numbers in, grinning darkly as he sent a few texts with the keyword "Phantom" included. He didn't get any responses back for several minutes until the phone finally buzzed, signifying that a text has been received.

~_Who the hell are you, and if you are who I think you are, I swear I'm going to hurt you. ~_

Orion raised an eyebrow at the message and his eyes flicked to the name, checking to make sure it was Angel's. Upon seeing that it was, he responded promptly: _~Chill, its Orion. I have a new phone and was wondering if you would like to have dinner tonight?~_ Orion sent the message then pocketed the phone, starting on his way back to the motel and stopping only to check a new message.

~_Oh my god, Orion. I'm so sorry! This idiot has been constantly texting me and claims I know him. Claims that he is madly in love with me. It's honestly starting to scare me and I don't know what to do. But I'm sure it will pass. So to answer your question, I would love to have dinner with you. Where should we meet up? ~_

Orion simply stopped and stared at the screen, reading the message twice more before replying: ~_Why not at the Twisted Eagle? I do believe you still have my bike, unless you had to sell it to make some money. Either way is fine. ~ _He walked into the motel parking lot then proceeded to the room, knocking on the door and waiting for about five seconds before unlocking it and walking in. Calypso was still curled up on the bed, and looked at him as he flashed the phone. "I'm heading to the Eagle and I might be back super late. Hold down the fort for me?"

She lifted her head and glared at him, flicking her tail in annoyance at his returning.

Orion grabbed a nearby jacket before heading back out. The ding of a new message sounded as he closed the door. Upon pulling out the phone, he frowned slightly as he started walking to the Twisted Eagle, seeing that it was only fifteen blocks away.

~_I still have the bike, but it had to be taken apart primarily for storage reasons. All the major parts are there, still intact, just not put together. I figure you're going to be there sooner than myself, so go on ahead and let yourself in. There is a key in the lock box. The code is your birthday and the alarm code is when you first decided to ask me out, or rather, to make it official. Have to clarify that point or the pigs will be showing up and I don't need that shit to deal with right now. Be careful on the way over; it's late and we can't have you being jumped for no reason._ ~

Orion stared at possibly the longest message he had ever received from Angel, ever. He took his time in his response, slowing his pace a bit before looking up and hurrying to the nearest street light, leaning on it as he finished his message: ~_Wilco. Good to see you're still looking out for me. And can I say I am thoroughly impressed with the precautions you have taken? I look forward to catching up with you tonight. This has been a long time in coming and I'm sure you have many questions for your own personal phantom. Fly fast, dear eagle, for soon I will be at your nest. See ya soon. Bye._ ~

With the message sent, Orion quickened his pace, starting from a brisk walk to a moderate jog, to which he held for a good six blocks before saying, "Screw it. I need to run. It's better to start now so it's easier to get back into when I start racing again."

Before he even realized it, though, he was already running full tilt, leaping gracefully over a fallen trashcan as his breath started to quicken. Suddenly, he began to daydream as the cockpit's lights flashed before his eyes, the insides of his mech starting up as he ran through standard warm-up procedures three years ago, his face seeming to glow in the memory's effects. Soon he came within two blocks of the shop and slowed his pace, panting only just a little bit as he caught the little bit of breath that he exerted. As he saw the shop's neon glow, his pace decreased even more until eventually, he was merely standing there, basking in the soft glow of the neon.

"I'm back and I can't believe it," he said. Orion glanced around incredulously, shocked at how much had actually remained the same before striding up to the door and inputting his birthday: _08-17-20_. After inputting it, the key popped out. Orion unlocked the door, but didn't open it yet, remembering the day he first asked Angel out. He exhaled slowly to get his mind back in order before proceeding and entering the next code: _12-25-39_.

"Always one to be dramatic, huh, Angel? It can't be helped, I guess. You always were one to keep me on my toes. I just hope I don't lose you this time." With that, Orion opened the door and went straight to the alarm. He entered the date and nodded as the red light turned green. He then closed and locked the door after entering. As he did this, he flicked on a light and grinned in appreciation at all the mech posters that covered the main entryway wall, shrugging a bit as he saw the old Star Seeker one down by her office door. After he locked the door, he turned the light down to low, not completely off, but just enough as to tell Angel he was there; it was also meant to look to the casual passer-by like someone was working late on a project.

He walked down the hall and stepped through the door separating the clean, sterile offices from the dirty and loud garage. It was deathly quiet as a sheeted object in the far back corner catching his eye. Seeing as he already knew what it was, he wasted no time in grabbing a nearby toolbox and not bothering to look at the name. He then flicked on the stereo, tuning it to a local station that played anything. Currently, they seemed to be on an eighties kick which caused Orion to smile as he uncovered the bike parts with a grunt, revealing the Harley pieces all grouped together. It was obvious someone else had begun the job but then had to put it on the back burner. It was all he could do to not break down at the sad sight before him as he went to work. He started by putting the chassis together and adding the wheels, paying no attention to the time or watching his back.

As soon as he got the wheels on, he stood and looked to the clock, not realizing that he had spent twenty minutes on that one job. It was eight thirty and still no sign of Angel. But that was standard for her, so Orion went back to work, nodding to himself as the music changed from eighties to rock, the bass kicking loudly as he felt the power from the surround sound speakers; it was pumped up super loud so that on a normal day, the workers could hear the music clearly. As he banged his head to the music, he started up the engine, but it sputtered and died. Frowning, he got off and looked at it, knowing that Angel would rather die than let an engine like that go and dry rot on the inside; so it had to be external. Following each line with surgical care, he found nothing wrong. Puzzled, he looked at it again and face palmed as he saw the spark plug wasn't connected fully.

"If it were a snake, it would have bit me." Orion laughed dryly, angered that he missed such a detail on his first sweep. "I'm twenty-five, not thirteen. That should have stood out like a sore thumb." Orion cranked up the Harley and listened to the engine. Satisfied with it, he killed it and started adding the seat, nodding as Disturbed came on. Suddenly, the music died, causing him to turn and look to see what was wrong, and when he did, he froze at the sight that greeted him.

Angel was standing there in her coveralls with the old team patch over her heart, her long, red hair styled in a neat ponytail as she strutted over and looked at Orion's handiwork. "Not half bad, Orion. You still got it."

Orion blushed at the compliment and thumped the seat, locking it in place and grinning. "Well," Orion began, "its nine o'clock and I have the bike fixed and ready to go. So, shall we, Angel?"

Angel laughed lightly, almost amused by the question. "Well, where did the gentleman come from, Orion? Last I recall, you were more of a 'be on time and if you aren't, I'm leaving you behind' kind of guy. Why the sudden change?" She looked serious as she waltzed over to the bike, looking at it and trying to seem interested in it and not Orion, though, she was making it obvious that she was glad he was back.

Orion shrugged and flashed a white smile. "Well, you seem pleasantly surprised to see me in here, all dirty and covered in grime. Reminds me of the old days." He rolled the bike to the garage door and let out an exasperated sigh, stripping off his oil-stained shirt and looking to Angel. "Do you have a spare shirt I could use? I doubt you want to go out with me having oil all over myself."

Angel blushed and looked away before walking over to the supply closet and opening it. "You know, I distinctly remember that's how our first date went. Just about an hour before a race, I do believe."

Orion merely looked down and sighed. "Yeah, about that," he began apologetically, "I'm sorry about that. I should have taken how I looked into consideration. Then maybe I would have saved you the embarrassment of being seen-"

He was then cut off by Angel walking over and kissing him. The kiss only lasted for just a second, but the meaning was clear enough as she broke it and looked into his surprised eyes. "Shut up and put on your old off-track jersey." With that, she handed him an old jersey that had Team Star Seeker's logo and signature colors with 'LATRO' across the back to signify it was his.

As Orion donned the item, a smile graced his lips as the memories flooded back. "Wow, this brings back some memories. Ready to go?" He looked over at Angel and was pleased to see that she already had two helmets in her hands, one maroon and gold, vertically striped and a jet black full face mask with a tinted visor.

She tossed the full helmet to Orion and donned her striped helmet. "Come on, hotshot. I'm hungry and I'm willing to bet that you are too." Angel walked over to the bike and sat down on the rear seat. Obviously, she had been waiting for this for a long time, so Orion didn't keep her waiting any longer. He hopped onto the front seat and kicked the bike into gear as she hit a button on her phone, opening the garage door just enough for them to slip under before closing. As soon as the door closed, Orion sped off into the night and looked into the mirror as he pulled onto the freeway, seeing that a black sedan had pulled out behind them as they entered the traffic.

"Hold on Angel." Orion said, though he wasn't sure if she heard him over the engine and wind as her arms had remained where they were placed around his waist. As they entered traffic, Orion began weaving in between the cars to lose the sedan, and was successful as he slowed and took the proper exit to a popular sports bar and grille, nearly being squeezed to death by the vice grip that had become Angel's arms. As they came to a red light, Orion reached down and pried her left arm from his waist, relieved as air rushed into his lungs as they rolled to a stop at the light.

"What, "Angel began, infuriated, "was that?! We could have been killed just now by your crazy driving!" Orion merely laughed and shook his head as he wished the light wasn't taking so long, and then he remembered the blue-tooth system and groaned as Angel's voice rang in his ears. "Answer me Orion Latro. Did you bring some mob hit man after you like in Thailand? I can't and won't deal with that again, even though in the end it was all a case of mistaken identity, we nearly died five times. Five! I don't want anything like that-"

"Angel, shut up and let me talk. "Angel's voice quickly quieted as she waited for Orion to speak." I don't know who they were, all I know is that they were tailing us, and I had to act. Besides, "a dark chuckle followed the pause, "we can't die yet, we have too much work that needs to be done." The light finally changed and Orion rolled off the line after a second to make sure no cars were going to run the light and continued on to the grille, where they pulled into the nearly empty parking lot and up to the furthest spot under a tree, much to Angel's dismay.

"Must you park in the darkest part of the parking lot Orion? Sooner or later something is going to happen and there won't be any help." Orion sighed and shrugged in response.

" I like being apart from the crowd. And until that day comes, it won't kill us to walk to the door." Angel grunted and looked away, obviously annoyed that Orion was being so stubbornly simple.

"I just don't get why we have to walk that entire distance." Orion snickered and shook his head before he answered, as he also picked up speed slightly,

" Well, I can't have you staying chubby hon."

With that, Orion took off and ran for his life as Angel shrieked behind him, "Chubby?!" Orion laughed and reached the door in a relatively quick manner, Angel was right on his heels, and she reached up and smacked him across the back of the head. "Don't you call me chubby Orion. At least I have men staring."

"Actually Angel, "Orion corrected softly, "they are staring at me." It was true, every set of eyes, except one pair was looking at the door, and that one pair belonged to Cunningham of Team Velshtein. "Marco!" Orion called out as a small, plump figure poked his head out from the kitchen.

"Oi, who called me? I have ribs back here that need to be watched and I-"His eyes locked onto Orion's as he stopped mid-sentence. Orion shrugged and nodded to a booth near the back before he took Angel's hand and headed back to it, passing Cunningham and he smirked.

"Welcome back to the IG Orion, gonna stick around so I can kick your ass again?" Angle started to speak, but Orion was faster as he reached over as he passed and slammed Cunningham's face into to table, breaking his nose with a resounding crack. Angel's surprised gasp was the only sound that broke the silence following the sudden gesture.

"Remember who you're talking to Cunningham, I'm not some IG-3 rookie, so don't fucking treat me like one. "Orion's voice was cool, an edge clearly heard in it as he looked at Cunningham, dark amusement flashed in his eyes as Cunningham stood and held his nose in place, hatred filled his eyes and he stood from his chair.

"Don't get too comfortable punk, I'm still the best, and it's good to see Angel out and about, it'll make taking her from you all the better. "Orion's hands clenched into tight fists as anger started welling up inside him, but this time, Angel beat him to the punch as she suddenly flashed into Orion's vision, a wicked punch flying as it connected with Cunningham's already broken nose. The impact from the punch spun him around and dropped him like a lightweight fighting a heavyweight champion; one hit knock out. There was a whoop, then an applause rose among the other patrons at the punch as she growled and spat on him.

"The idea of you and I even being in the same room is repulsive you sorry excuse for a man." She then spun on her heel and walked to the far rear booth, where she promptly sat herself against the wall as she glared in Orion's general direction, rage was felt across the room in waves. Orion smirked and rolled Cunningham onto his back with the toe of his boot, squatting and shaking his head.

" You sure pissed her off this time, thanks for that you dolt. You, just in a sentence, ruined my date." Orion sighed and stood, mumbling to himself. "Let's see if I can pull a miracle outta my ass because of dipshit on the floor." Orion glared at him once more before he walked to the booth, but remained standing. "May I join you Angel?" She merely glared before she sighed and nodded, quietly answering with a huff.

"Yeah, might as well, we need to talk Orion, talk about what just happened." Orion laughed softly and raised an eyebrow as he slid into the booth.

"Listen, please, can we save such dreary talk for the trip back to the shop? Please? All I really want to do is enjoy a relatively quiet dinner with you, but he ruined that prospect." Orion's eyes softened considerably as he reached across the table and laid his hand over hers. Angel looked at his hand before she turned her hand over and gently squeezed his hand before replying with a forlorn groan.

"God I always hated it when you did that, fine, but I expect something amazing tonight, and I don't mean in bed." Orion chuckled and intertwined his fingers with hers.

"I know you hate it, why do you think I did it? Now where the hell is Marco? He was supposed to be out here minutes ago." As if on cue, the short male from earlier seemed to appear from thin air as he grunted to be acknowledged.

"Why did you have to do that Angel? I'm going to have to deal with that shit later," Marco then turned to Orion, "and you, where is the common decency to call your uncle and tell him that you're back in town? Why, I should beat your ass right now because of that bull-"

"Marco," Orion interrupted, "stop talking for half a minute and let me get a word in. And on that note, I do believe we will start out with the mozzarella sticks. Then you can join us and we can catch up on what I missed, and you can tell me why you are serving trash now. I remember when you wouldn't even let stuck up bastards like Cunningham step foot on the property." Marco looked at Orion with an incredulous glance before taking the hint and shrugging.

"Alright Phantom, it's good to have you back among us." With that quick remark, Marco stood and started quickly for the kitchen as a spoon flew past his head, as it clanged against the wall behind the bar, Orion's free hand was seen being retracted from a thrown position.

Angel simply smirked as she looked over at him. "Problem with that name Orion? You don't get upset when I called you by it." She laughed and shook her head in mischievous delight. "God," she continued," I haven't heard that name in forever; one would think that you would relish it being uttered once more." Orion sighed and shrugged as he glared at the back wall, still a bit annoyed.

" I never asked for that name." He replied mildly, obviously calming down before continuing, "It was given to me back when I wasn't fully legal. They called me a phantom because I would show up and disappear outta nowhere. Time passed and the nickname sorta stuck. I'm sure if you were to go and look up The Phantom in the police reports, a good portion of them would have the same details; Black suit, black full helmet, black motorcycle, and disappeared without a trace. Truth of the matter is I would just run. As much as it pains me to say it. I had bills to pay, and I knew getting caught would mean losing everything..."With that unusually long response that happened ever so rarely, Angel merely blinked and fell quiet as she remembered why she had fallen in love with this man; he was brutally honest, and loyal to an almost cultic degree. _The IGPX is my life Angel._ Those very words rang through her mind like a crystal bell as more of what he told her back before he left came back._ And while it is my life, it will never replace how I feel about you. I love you Angel, no matter what I say or do, I will always do whatever I feel is right to keep you safe, regardless of how I am harmed or treated in the process._ Angel smiled a bit to herself as she stood and waved him off as she headed to the bathrooms to try and regain control of herself. _Come on girl, he left you after he was beaten in one race...But he does love me, of that I'm sure, but that is still no excuse... God Orion, why do you do this shit to me? I want to smack him on one hand, but on the other, I want to let him pull me into his arms and kiss me with those soft, delectable...No! He left, and in turn, he betrayed me. If he wants to make it up to me, then fine, but I don't see how he could do anything short of a miracle to make up for his mistakes._ Angel kept warring within herself, and it was showing as she stepped into the bathroom and stepped up to the sink, staring into the mirror and looked at the haggard face staring back at her. Somewhere behind her a stall door opened and closed, and an attractive young blonde stepped into view behind her, a worried look on her face as she laid a hand on Angel's shoulder.

"Is there something bothering you sugar?" The young blonde asked, genuinely concerned as Angel's face told the story of her inner conflicting emotions. Angel jumped and shook her head, trying to get herself under control and not let her appearance get the best of her as the blonde sighed and shook her head before turning and leaning against the wall, still looking at Angel." You know, you say you're fine, but your eyes tell a different story. Let me guess, it has something to do with a boy." Angel finally gave in after a moment and gave a meek nod and the blonde smiled in response." I knew it. I'm guessing he's done either something stupid, crazy, or a little bit of both and now you don't know how to respond?" Angel's eyes widen in shock as her jaw falls open in silent awe, thus giving the blonde her answer. "Listen sugar, men are stupid, they think that they need to do crazy things to impress little old us, when all we want is to be treated decently and with respect. This boy of yours, he obviously means quite a bit to you, but he has done something in the past that you haven't gotten over. Sweetie, take it from me, holding something simple like a grudge over some poor boy because he screwed up isn't the best way to go. Tell him what he did wrong, and show him the way back to your heart; only then will you be able to quell those warring feelings inside your breast." The blonde smiled softly and looked at angel as the realization of her words struck Angel like a hand across the face.

"But he left me miss. He left for three years, and never called or even wrote. And now he's back and I want to be angry with him, but at the same time I can't be because deep down, I love the young man who was with me three years ago, but this man, this stronger, darker man, he's different, and that scares me. I want the old, playful boyfriend he was back then, who could take a joke without having to think about it, where if I fell, he would stop whatever he's doing to help me up, then carry me to the nearest seat and make sure I was OK before going back to work. I want the man I fell in love with back." As angel admitted these things, defiant, angry tears rolled down her face at the loss of what could have been. She cried and the blonde merely stood there and waited until she was done, and when that time came, she smiled and nodded.

"Then you know what you need to do. And remember hon, he's your man, but you need to show him that you are willing to be his woman first. I'm sure he's just about given up all hope on winning you back. Now dry your tears pumpkin, and go back to him and tell him how you feel. Oh, and by the way; he does this to you because even after all that time he had to think about things, approaching women and getting his point across with them never crossed his mind." Angel smiled and nodded before freezing and looking at the blonde again.

"Who are you ma'am?" Angel asked, somewhat apprehensive of the answer.

" Why," The blonde replied curtly, "I'm you, or rather, your reasonable side. This entire conversation, has all been taking place in your head as you had been staring at the mirror for a good ten minutes. Good talk, and no, you are not tripping on anything, nor are you high, nor drunk. And we definitely aren't crazy. Sometimes, our sides like to step in with an argument when their opposite has made their point clear. But we already know this thanks to those psychology books we've been reading. Now go and get him Angel." Angel blinked once more and the blonde was gone, leaving her alone in the restroom as she sighed.

"Thanks to my subconscious, I've had a moment of clarity... Great, just what I need." She grunted as she wiped the few defiant tears away and took a few deep breaths before opening the door again and stepping out, seeing that a good portion of the crowd that was there earlier has gone home, including Cunningham, and Orion was sitting in the booth, talking and moving his hands as he did to Marco, who just nodded and munched on mozzarella sticks, completely enthralled in the story. She glided over, Orion's voice low and respectful of the others as a small smile was on his face.

"-And just when I thought I would be done for, an arrow of all things flew past me and pierced the sucker in the shoulder. Can you imagine an angry goat, bearing down on me after it knocked the ever living shit outta me, suddenly jump after having an arrow shot into it? The person, who shot it, as I later found out after I blacked out from a gash that was along my left arm, was a wonderful young woman who knew how to take care of a wound. Her name was Annalise; she had long, straight, black hair that reminded me of a raven's feathers. Her eyes were a deep forest green, and her touch, God Marco; her touch was like a cloud. "Orion laughed and shook his head at the memory of the young woman and Angel slid into the booth next to him, gently covering his hand with hers as she leaned against him in a content manner.

" Well," Marco replied in a taunting demeanor, "while I'm sure that young woman was a nice sight, I'm glad you remained faithful to Angel. Lord knows if she were to wind up with some riff raft, that you would never see her again." Orion nodded and shifted in the seat so that her head was resting against his chest, and she curled up against him, forcing his right arm around her back so that his right hand rested on her hip. Angel grinned triumphantly from her well-placed position and looked over to Marco.

" Marco," she began sweetly, her eyes pleading with him," I would like the spaghetti, with garlic bread please." Marco nodded and looked to Orion with a questioning glance, to which Orion merely shook his head and responded quietly,

"Not hungry uncle, besides, I think Angel is wanting to ask me something." Marco stood silently and laughed, sounding like an old lumberjack as he whistled a cheery tune back into the kitchen, leaving Angel and Orion alone, to which Angel took full advantage of and sat up in Orion's lap and placed her forehead against his, looking into his eyes as she did so.

" Kiss me Orion Latro. Show me that I am your woman." With that, Orion pulled her closer by her hips and locked his lips against hers in a deep, heart-pounding kiss that lasted for several seconds. In those seconds, Angel was in pure bliss knowing that Orion loved her and that he was her man._ Now if I can just get him to be less serious and relax more often, then I will be happy._ After the initial kiss had ended, Angel reluctantly broke it and came back up for air, panting heavily as she laid her head on his shoulder." I love you Orion...but god damn, you need to relax more often or I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life." Orion merely sat there, shocked a first by the confession, then once more by the threat.

"Angel, it'll take time for me to revert back to my old self. Until then, I'll try and relax a bit more. And I'm sorry about Cunningham's nose. That was childish and I should have had a better hold on my temper." Angel slowly crawled out of his lap and sighed, looking at Orion's ashamed face.

"Orion, don't apologize. As I recall, you always used to say that 'talk is cheap. Actions are worth a fortune.' So in that sense, stop talking big and roughing up every guy who looks at me as if I'm nothing more than a toy. I can handle myself, and now Cunningham knows that too. Now, what time is it?" Orion chuckled at the very sudden change of topic and pulled out his phone, checking the time and seeing it is just about eleven-thirty at night and Marco was seen near the front of the shop, pacing back and forth, looking at the two of them with an annoyed glare.

" Oi! While it's great to see you kid, some of us have family back home and mouths to feed. I wish you could stay longer and possibly desecrate one of my stalls; I think its best you two should head on home."

"What about my spaghetti?" Angel whined, actually feeling a bit hungry now that she thought about that, he looked at them and pointed to the door and they got up, thanking him promptly before squeezing past him and out the door into the warm night.

"It'll be free next time you come in, I promise." The clicking of the door being locked behind them was the only sound that penetrated the night as the pair looked to each other and started laughing. Orion wiped tears from his eyes as he looked back to the restaurant.

" Hey Angel, remember back when we first came here? Marco was so proud to have his nephew and his sane girlfriend having a bite that he wouldn't leave us alone for more than five minutes." Angel's face darkened considerably at the memory and what Orion was able to do within those five minute gaps.

" Yes, and I distinctly remember your hand between my legs and me begging you to ease up or the people in the booth next to us would have heard me and found out why the booth was darker than the rest...Hey Orion, what's with that guy hanging around the bike? He's looking kind of sketchy." Orion stopped laughing and raised his eyebrow as he shifted his gaze over to the bike, to which he locked eyes with a stranger who was leaning against the bike, seeming to wait for them. Orion did a quick scan of the surrounding area and noticed the black van from earlier at the edge of the parking lot and took note of it.

" Angel, stay behind me, I got a really bad vibe coming from him, and that vibe is telling me he's not happy and friendly." Angle shook her head and looked at him, her face scrunching up in a blind fury as she took only one step before Orion's iron clamp of a hand grasped her arm and pulled her back, and he shook his finger at her chastising and pointed to the puddle in front of them. "Now now, where are my manners? While I understand you wanting to hurt them, why not try a civil manner first, and if that doesn't work, I'll knock him on his ass. Tonight was wonderful, and I don't feel like getting mugged and having it get ruined. But if he has a gun, I want you to run. Don't stop and look back if you hear a shot, I want you to pour the steam on until you reach the streets, then I want you to keep running until you see a cop car. You'll be safe then." Angel nodded and the two began the trip across the lot to the dark spot where the bike was. The stranger leaned against the bike and watched them as he reached into his right pocket and left his hand in it as they approached.

" Alright," he began, drawing a switchblade from his pocket and popping the blade into a ready position," money and valuables, along with the keys bub. Do that and no one will get hurt." Orion took one look at the blade and sighed as he knew he wasn't getting out of this civilly.

"Listen guy, you don't want to do this." Even as Orion was saying this, he was pulling out a pair of headphones from his back pocket and threading them through the inside of his shirt, plugging into his phone and draping the buds over his ears, inserting the left one as he gently pushed Angel away, his eyes never leaving the mugger's." You are making a mistake, so why don't you put the butter knife away and start stepping?" With that last remark, the mugger growled and lunged forward, slashing downward, the air hissing behind the blade as it narrowly missed Orion's chest. In response, Orion stepped back and quickly inserted the right ear bud and turned on his music, Flux Pavilion's "I Can't Stop" began playing full blast in the tiny speakers as Orion loosed a vicious right kick, landing just off behind his left knee, causing the mugger to crumple slightly, but in that crumpling movement, he brought the knife down the length of Orion's leg, leaving a cut that started at the knee and ended halfway down before he rolled away and popped back onto his feet, the blade twinkling in the streetlights with fresh blood on the blade. Orion grimaced at the pain and lifted the injured appendage into the air, determined to continue fighting as he glared at the mugger.

"Good moves, for a punk." With that, Orion leaped into the air, the music changing from Flux Pavilion to Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive" as he spun midair and landed the kick to the mugger's left arm, feeling something give as he landed and slapped his right foot onto the ground, a sickening smile appeared on Orion's face as he pivoted and spun to the guy's right on his bad leg, catching the mugger by surprise as Orion caught his arm in a strike that hit nothing but air. Orion turned his arm so the elbow was facing the ground, brought the guy's arm to his right shoulder, and ripped downward in one savage movement, feeling the arm snap against the rock hard shoulder. The mugger's screams of agony pierced the music temporarily before Orion brought his own elbow up and reverse-rotated, his elbow slamming into the mugger's right side of his chest, and upon feeling those ribs upon impact break, Orion gabbed the guy by the throat and pulled him so he was face to face with him and in a cool voice that held no malice, nor any hatred, just disappointment, Orion spoke to him.

"If you ever try this shit on anyone again, ever, remember the pain you feel right now, remember the absolute ass beating you just bought yourself, and any of your buddies who think they can take me. You are their first, last, and only warning. Now get the fuck out of here!" Orion threw the guy two parking spaces away and watched as the black van screamed over and slid to a stop between him and Orion, then screeched off into the night, leaving only tire marks as a sign that there was anything that was there. "And good riddance you lousy pieces of shit." Orion shook his head and then fell to his knees, groaning as he rolled to his left side and clutched his right leg, and Angel froze, watching with unbelieving eyes._ How could someone so sweet be so savage with just a simple change of situation?_ Angel pulled out her cellphone and dialed nine-one-one, giving the dispatcher the location of the bar and a brief description of what happened, all the while kneeling next to him and resting her hand over his. Soon the whine of a police car was heard as the flashing lights pulled into view and he illuminated the area with a spotlight.

" Angel," Orion grunted, close to just blacking out, but to Angel's amazement, life flowed back into his eyes as he sat up and shook his head before continuing, "It looks like he got me better than I thought. I broke his arms, and possibly a few ribs before the shock of the cut got to me. Tell the pig what happened, if I move anymore without help, I'm going to just pass out." Orion laughed weakly and looked down after saying that. "Pretty pathetic isn't it? One moment I'm up and fighting, now I'm sitting on the ground, nursing a cut when we should already be home. Idiots, the lot of them." Angle sighed and watched him for a minute before walking over to the police car, and there was a flurry of movement inside as the spotlight suddenly focused on her, yet she still continued until she was at the door and knocked on the window, looking impatient as it inched down.

"C'mon, you see he's sitting on the ground, so why aren't you out and checking him?" The dark face of a middle aged officer, about 45, looked out at her, an unamused look on his face as he then turned to Orion and pointed. "What happened to him and where is the assailant? Or am I being an idiot and he is the assailant and your boyfriend is a pussy and took for the hills?" Angle closed her eyes and took a step back, visibly shaking with anger as she turned around.

"Why don't you go and ask him? He won't be going anywhere without me, or without help. "With that she turned on her heel and walked back to Orion, the car door behind her opening and closing after her as footsteps followed her and the officer walked past her, a bored look on his face as he stepped up to Orion and squatted down on his haunches and snapped his fingers.

"Wake up hotshot; I need to know who you are." Instead of answering him though, Orion reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet and tossed it to him. "Open it and look at the first picture you see. Never did have a thing for talking to cops."

"And I never had a thing for talking to smartass punks, yet here we are." When orion refused to answer, the cop decided to pull his ace. "What happened? Or should I just ask the girl again?" Orion gritted his teeth before he glared through the fog of his vision at the officer.

"Don't you have a report or something to get to?"  
The cop just laughed and shook his head slightly before he answered."Can't file a report if i dont know what happened. But, since i clearly see blood, lets get you checked out and then you can tell me everything while on a drip. Sound good? Good."The officer took a look at his id card then, sighed, and opened the rear driver door before looking at him. "You able to walk? it doesnt look like it, but i have to ask." Orion tried to stand and got his left leg under him before his vision swam and he fell to the side, hitting his head and blacking out. the last thing he heard before he went fully under was Angel, shaking him and calling his name, then just blackness and a intense pain in his leg, but that too soon faded and he seemed to drift amongst the darkness, feeling nothing, nor being able to move. Angel on the other hand, was in hysterics as tears streamed down her face before the officer picked Orion up and started for the car. "Miss, get in the back and hold his head in place." Angel looked shocked but did as she was told, sliding into the back seat as the officer laid orion across the back seat, his head in her lap as she gently stroked his hair, the car rocked as the door was shut and the officer climbed in, starting up the car, the quiet engine loud against the oppressing silence that had filled the car. The officer cleared his throat and looked into the mirror, his eyes holding years of experience. "You must obviously care for him. What is he to you?" Angel looked up and glared at the officer, but immediately regretted it and looked back down before she answered quietly.

" My boyfriend. He left three years ago and this is his second or third day back." The rest of the ride to the hospital was quiet, mostly due to the fact that Orion lapsed into a full unconsciousness, causing Angel to become worried.

" Calm down miss, he'll be fine. That's Ghost, I've seen what he can do, and what he can take. A few years back, after some no name rookie bashed on him, he found the punk and challenged him to a one on one, needless to say, the rookie quit the IG circuit after that race, his mech though, well they say you can still find pieces in the alleyway where he dumped it. All that because the kid hurt his pride and tried his luck…" He trailed off, obviously he was also worried about Orion, but he fought against showing it as his eyes flitted back to the road. Angel gave a short, curt nod , he facade of calmness breaking a little bit as she heard the story and she simply buried her face into Orions chest, tears of frustration and helplessness burned in her eyes as she remembered her father scolding her after Orion left, all those years ago."First, you disobey my wishes for you to become a doctor,and now you are obsessing over a motorcycle riding, good for nothing , IGPX pilot who can't take a defeat? Where did I go wrong Angella? I wanted a nice life for you, but you just keep fighting me!" Angel smiled ruefully as she answered him in her mind." You went wrong when you decided to run my life. Everyone falls father, and yes, he may have left, but I'll be damned if you think I'm just going to let you order me around anymore. I am an individual, not a puppet. If you can't accept me for who I am, then fuck off." The sound of her door slamming in her father's surprised face still rang in her ears as she tried to think of any other conversations before she came to the sad reality that the conversation she seemed to remember the most vividly, was the last one she had with her father since she had moved out and was staying in Orion's apartment. Angel lifted her head slightly and grimaced at the thought of talking to her father any time soon. Just as the thought crossed her mind, it was as if God had a sick sense of humor, as the car lurched into the hospital where her father worked. Angel swore bitterly and loudly, which had surprised the officer.

There was a warning burst from the siren as the paramedics seemed to be on autopilot as the came out of the building, a elderly woman at the head of the small swarm as the car pulled to a stop and the doors opened up, and soon Orion's weight disappeared from Angel's lap, a odd void filling the space as she had grown comfortable having his head resting there. the elderly woman then pulled her out of the car and gave her a quick once over before motioning towards the entrance.

"Go on ahead Angel, Ghost here and I will be in relatively shortly." The old woman turned and started barking orders to the other aides, who seemed to be a little star struck and confused about what they should be doing, but her fierce glare and gravelly voice quickly snapped them out of their stupor and scattered back to their places, leaving the awestruck Angel behind and the elderly woman looking back to the hospital."Come along Angella, your Father already knows Ghost is back, so he has been waiting, and by the looks of it, he is furious." Orion grunted and shook his head lightly, but otherwise remained in the same condition as Angel looked at him with growing worry. "Come on Angel, no time to waste." The old woman seemed to become ten years younger as she started forward, heading into the emergency room and rolling Orion right down the hall to a partially open door, a soft glow emanated from inside. As the woman pushed Orion in, Angel followed before freezing at the doorway, her mouth open in shock at the walls, which were covered in pictures of famous IGPX racers, each one having a thumbtack in the upper lefthand corner with a string attached, and each string converged on a single picture of a shadowed racer, the name "Ghost" in faded silver along the bottom left. Inside there was the man Angel hoped to avoid, her father. He was running his finger along the spiderwebs to diagrams and notes of each team, detailing their strategies and tendencies.

"Hello Angel, Ghost. It's been awhile. Please, have a seat. We have much to discuss while I work on that leg."


End file.
